Jaded No More

Dear god no! That photo is a bigger crime than his latest betting scandal.

Oh, well who is arguing that? We'll go into the game with 3 ruckmans, we'd be crazy not to given the extended bench and the heat. If White is out (as he should be), the other 3 are in, otherwise Neaves will miss out. So really, we agree completely... bugger, I was looking forward to my slab! Edit: Shouldn't have said anything before I read This thread. Seems we are only going in with 2 ruckmen, and neither are Jeff White. Dammit!

White + PJ + Jamar + Neaves? It's not going to happen. I look forward to my slab... and please, none of this cordial stuff. I want beer thanks!

I rather be fit in September, not March or April again. A lot of these players would have played if Sunday was an important game. It isn't. Also, unless one of Neaves/Jamar/PJ play as a permanent forward on Sunday, there is no way we could play all 3. I hope to see them all in action during the pre-season though, esepcially Neaves.

That's a big statement to make, but you're not one to foolishly accuse players of things like that, so it's worrying. Such a waste for a footballer on an AFL list to not have the required drive or attitude, especially given his abundance of skills. Maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt, as he may be carrying an injury, or maybe Bell is just that brilliant after all . But I wasn't there, so from all reports I'm clutching at straws here.

You could add Bartram (ankle), Sylvia (OP), Wheatley (no idea) and maybe Neita (rested?) to that too. Looking forward to seeing a totally different team on Sunday. Very exciting!

That's fantastic news! Well done to everyone at the club, especially Gardner and Harris for all of their hard work. It's wonderful to hear such good news about our off-field situation.

Was there ever an indication by the club that the situation will be different in 2007? I thought they'll keep the same system, since it worked very well last year.

The only positives regarding the injuries to Brock, Davey and TJ, is that they'll keep those key players away from harms-way during the NAB Cup. I wasn't keen on seeing those players take the field, now they can't. As long as the injuries are minor, I think it might not be such a bad thing if they miss the pre-season competition. This applies to White too, serious facial injury or not. Thank you everyone for the reports. Really happy to hear good news about Belly!

This is Jennifer Adams (very old photo of her), she's a newsreader at Channel 7. Congratulations to Biz, and hopefully they have a long and happy marriage.

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He put money on us winning, both times. He lost, both times. Get the hint Wardy... you're bad luck!

I don't think so. Players can be caught taking drugs, or have to appear in court for serious offences, and they don't get banned. The AFL would just prove to us what a hypocritical body it is, if it banned players for gambling (which is, after all, not an illegal activity in itself), and nothing else. I hope the club punishes Ward, and more importantly, makes him seek the help he needs to quit gambling all together. For a starter, he shouldn't play in the NAB Cup. This may not seem like a big punishment, but for a 30 year old guy who is not a regular in our 22, this is a big blow.

I disagree. Players like Byron, with all of his experience and his excellent record in big games, or Robbo, who is the heart and soul of the club, are necessary to our success. I'm all for youth, but a team made up of kids plus Neita and Junior, will not deliver every week. You want our older players to perform every week, but then inconsistency is the definition of youth. We need to get the blend right, and put simply, if you can find players who better serve our purpose than the three you mentioned, than that's great. But I think you will find it very hard to replace all three with youth, when already a big chunk of our core players are so young. We should expect our kids to keep getting better, and indeed for us to succeed they have to. But at the same time, we cannot rely on a group of five or six, 20-somethings, to deliver us a flag. If it was that easy, teams wouldn't have to spend years rebuilding.

There is no vice-captain, it's vice-captains. Brock, Bruce, Green and Junior are all leaders out on the field. If Neita is injured and unable to captain (and hopefully that doesn't happen in 2007), one of the 4 will be chosen by Neale and Co. to lead the side that week.

Paving the way nicely for Brock Clearly the right decision by all. Besides, I can't think of another player at our club who deserves a flag more than Neita.

You can't compare gambling to drug- taking. For one, drugs are illegal, no matter who you are. But regardless, the rule are there for a reason, and the AFL is absolutely right to forbid this sort of gambling. Ward was silly to get involved, and worse, put a dent in the club's reputation.

That's really disappointing, since this is his second 'scandal' involving gambling. I was hoping that we could get through this pre-season without any off-field problems. Hopefully they sort it out quickly, and more importantly, TJ has nothing to do with it!

Rubbish. Bell had a very good end to 2006, when he was finally injury free. You can't give Bizzell credit for his work 3 season ago, but not to Bell for his recent development (especially the way he played in the finals). Ward is just as unaccountable as Bizzell, and he is a lot faster. Wheatley is more accountable, probably on par for speed. CJ is quicker and also gives us options, because he can just as easily play on the wing or up forward. He also happens to have 10 years of football ahead of him. Bizzell is finishing up, this is his last hoorah. I rather not spent time watching him trying to catch up to speed in 2007, when we could be developing a 10 year player instead. And no matter which way you look at it, he hasn't paid off that 3 year contract.

Of course, but as I said this is most likely going to be Bizzell's last year. He still plays loose, I doubt he can run any faster now, and while his disposal is good, he is no Travis. In short, I'd like to see the next generation of 'run and carry' players take the field, especially early on. I know that we're banking on going for the big one this year, but that doesn't mean we should be slowing down with our development. The odds say that we are far less likely to win than lose, and it would be a real shame if we stuck with Bizzell hoping to see if he'll give us more. If by some miracle he's become as accountable as Bell, or as keen to tackle as Bartram is, than great, play him. But I have my doubt. This applies equally to Ward and Brown. Oh and Freak, on what planet is Bizzell on par with Whelan?

One would hope not. I would be very surprised if this was not his last season.

Thanks for the detailed report. Nicely done. May I ask who were Warnock's opponents? I had high hopes for him, but it seems that from all reports on Frawley, competition for backline spots is becoming more and more intense. Great luxury to have though. Good defences win finals!

It's more a testiment to how clumsy and hopelessly uncoordinated I can be. I can't even blame excessive drinking for all those injuries either. DD, I hope Robbo can adapt his game to become more than just a goal-kicker, but I'm not convinced. He's 28, and it's very hard to teach an old dog new tricks. He, along with Neita, are our main targets, and that shouldn't change. But as you said, he needs to keep his feet and play it smart when he doesn't have the ball. He is a very tough opponent (he might even beat Clement this year, now that he can't push his opponents in the back :angry: ) because he is small, yet so good in the air. But really, for his size, he should be more mobile and better able to handle a ball off the ground. I hope he can do a bit more of that this year, because until Neita retires, he won't be our first-choice goal-kicker, and he won't have the luxury to sitting in the square flying for marks.

I haven't had a chance to look at Petterd so I can't comment. If he's as talented as you say he is, than I guess it's possible. I just feel that the draftees from 04/05 deserve to debut first, given the amount of hard work they've already put it. Newton will really need to show us something this year. Two years after being drafted, he can't rely on being 'that freakishly talented kid' anymore. I hope that now that Smith is gone, he'll at least be able to cement a spot at Sandy seniors.

As someone who has broken her toes a lot (and I mean a lot! ), I can tell you that you can't fix it with plaster. He would have gone to see a doctor who would have told him to 'deal with it'. There is nothing you can do for a broken toe, sometimes it doesn't even look like it's broken, but it hurts like hell. Good news is, it's a pretty quick-healing injury if you don't push yourself.